most read blog posts of 2012
By Ryan Byrd
well, another year of blogging is in the books…er, on the internet.
in my most read of 2011 post last year at this time, i wrote that i thought i finally hit a stride in 2011. that stride slowed considerably this year (i wrote just over 50 posts this year, which is less than half of last year’s total), but in some ways, i think the quality increased. less filler this year. i only blogged about the stuff i really cared about. often, quite frankly, i didn’t even blog about some of the stuff i cared about. some of that was simply a product of personal burnout and time limitatons, but just as much was about making choices related to personal constraint.
each year, i like to take a look back—more out of curiousity than anything—and see which posts were most read. it never fails that that list is comprised both of posts i could’ve predicted (news-worthy or “controversial” posts) and things i would’ve never guessed.
so, here’s the list of the 10 most read posts on my blog for 2012.
10. burying the infant: in memory of rob toon
there’s a community of suffering that, on the surface, sounds depressing, but when you fully discover it, you experience a freedom that allows you to move on in healthy and holistic ways.
i’ll never forget rob and he’ll never cease to have an incredible impact on the rest of my life, but i’m thankful that i’ve finally been able to bury the infant.
9. how then should we respond to violence?: a few thoughts on the thayer street shootings
how then should we respond to violence?
we should stay. we should invest in our downtown neighborhoods. love the people in these communities. refuse to let fear lead to an irrational and ill-informed decision about our neighborhoods.
8. all hail the king: predictions for breaking bad’s final season
yes, it’s going to happen. it can’t not happen. hank will finally discover the identity of his coveted heisenberg. i think it’ll go something like this: hank will spend the first 8 episodes continuing to track the blue meth. in the final moments of the midseason finale, hank will finally get a big break about the source of the blue meth. when he discovers the lab, he’ll walk through the door, gun drawn, at the moment that walt rounds the corner, bringing them face to face. cut to credits.
7. the lever-ending story: looking back at this election season
there’s a small part of me that’s ready for it to be all over, but i have to admit, i enjoy this process. i like the chess game of it all. i like the ridiculous fluctuation in the weekly and seemingly daily polling. i love the back and forth of the political talk shows. i enjoy it because i actually think it matters. exchanging ideas and debating policies is important. sure, it gets ugly at times and there’s plenty of vaccuous talking points, but our country moves forward when we engage in weighing out mulitple points-of-view and civic ideologies.
read the post in its entirety »
6. post-election burning questions: will will ferrell keep his campaign promises?
there’s so many questions left to answer after last night’s historic re-election of barack obama. the most important question, though, comes from some lofty promises made by america’s pre-eminent statesman: will ferrell.
5. life of pi, biblical literalism and creationism
sometimes, the truth is ugly. sometimes, it’s unbelievable. sometimes, it’s mundane.
the creation stories in the first couple chapters of genesis weren’t intended to be scientific accounts. they weren’t intended by the writers to be literal. that wasn’t the purpose.
they understood that poetry and evocative imagery and emotive storytelling is what endears—and even allows—belief.
4. best of 2012 posts
***i’m including all the best of 2012 posts collectively here. the cover songs post received the most visits of them all but ultimately, they were all pretty close to each other.
i assume that if you don’t love a good cover, then you must hate america. they’re great. while there’s a whole lot of bad covers, there’s always a good list (my initial list before narrowing them down included 50+ songs) of great cover songs each year. from established superstars to up-and-comers trying to make a name for themselves online, here’s my list of 2012′s best cover songs.
new music discoveries »
cover songs »
songs »
albums »
3. derek webb ctrl posts
***i’m lumping together a couple different derek webb-related posts. i’m cheating a little because they’re separate posts, but both deal with his album, ctrl: one announcing it and one giving my initial review/thoughts.
this is a whole new sound for webb. continuing the evolution of his sound over the course of his career, this album is truly uncomparable, sonically, to any of his previous work. if anything, it might be the place where mockingbird meets stockholm syndrome (with just a pinch of i see things upside down).
derek webb announces new album, ctrl, and fall tour »
derek webb releases new album, ctrl »
2. derek webb calls his biggest hit “theologically narrow”
i can’t imagine what it’s like to have spent 20+ years sharing my theologies and bearing my soul to hundreds of thousands (or millions?) of people. that’s exactly what derek webb has done since he began writing songs as a part of the grassroots christian band caedmon’s call and continued for nearly a decade as a solo artist. so does derek, like myself, ever look back with any contrition about past songs or specific lyrics.
1. dan haseltine, jars of clay bid farewell to the evangelical church
i’m blown away by how much traffic this post generated. i’ll put it this way: this post generated triple the visitors than that of the aforementioned #2 most visited post. apparently people are particularly interested in jars of clay’s views on the church. who knew?
God gave us a story, and a space to fill. And it isn’t really in the same neighborhood as the evangelical church. And so our music will be disappointing to many. People will inevitably engage us with the question, “Are you going secular?” or, “Why don’t you sing about Jesus?” or, “How come you don’t share the gospel?” And some of those people will be angry. Some of them won’t have the tools necessary to understand that anger, or the fear that creates it. Some people will see our form of artistic expression as a threat. Some will categorize us as “back-sliders.“ I wish I had more patience and time for those people.
alright, there you have it. these were the most read blog posts of 2012.
were there posts not on this list that stood out to you?
and while we’re talking about the blog, i’m always eager to receive feedback on what people would like to read or what you would not like to read. so, suggestions? complaints? i’d love the feedback.
